Wanderers still improving, says Shannon Cole

After a third victory in a row, one which took Western Sydney Wanderers to the top of the A-League ladder, even if potentially briefly, you might be entitled to think the side had also returned to the top of their game.

Not so, according to Shannon Cole, whose first-half strike proved the difference against Melbourne Heart on Friday night. Cole said the Wanderers had significant improvement left in them.

"The good thing is that we've got three wins on the trot without really living up to what we believe we can do," Cole said. "It's a positive sign that we're getting wins, and we still have a lot that we want to improve on.

"Without doubt [there's improvement]. There's a lot that we want to improve on all over the park, in attack and defence. That's what we're working hard on. We're working hard to improve on all aspects of our game as a team."

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The nature of the Wanderers' 1-0 win showed that hard work was paying off – but also vindicated Cole's feeling about how much the squad had left to give. Their opponents were on top for much of the contest but the Wanderers proved their mettle.

"You take a lot out of it," Cole said. "It's who we are as a club. We're in it to win it. We don't hide that from anyone. Every win is an important one. Three on the trot is not easy for any team.

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"It's part of our culture. It's part of what we want to be."

They will have to fight as hard, and probably harder, for a fourth. The Wanderers now face Melbourne Victory in round six.

The makeup of Tony Popovic's side will no doubt be speculated on until then. Against the Heart, Cole started his first game of the season, replacing Mark Bridge. Popovic also left his skipper Michael Beauchamp out, preferring Matthew Spiranovic. Cole, who said he was told he would be starting "right before the game", could not guarantee he would back up his match-winning performance with a starting spot against the Victory.

"We won't know for sure until right before the game," Cole said. "I'll work hard at training, I'll do what's asked of me, and however long I'm asked to play, I'll do my job for that amount of time."

A goal in his first start this season will no doubt help his cause.

"It's just nice to be involved in a good win away from home," Cole said. "It felt very tough at the start. Obviously I hadn't had any significant minutes for a while – I guess I'd put it down to that. I've got to thank the boys. They got me through it, got my head in the game, and then I found myself on the scoresheet, which helped."